C'est La Vie

I would like to inform you all that I have already done SO many of the things that were on my original "What do while in France" list that it's CRAZY. One of them was that I try a diabolo-menthe, a drink that I read about it in my French classes in middle school and high school when we had to read or act out French conversations among teenagers when they were at a café. A diabolo-menthe is a very simple, refreshing beverage, and it is that bright green atrocity on the left. It's mint syrup mixed with some sort of soda, basically. I think there are alcoholic versions of it, but this one definitely was not. But it was very good, and I got to listen to a jazz duo play and write in my journal while I drank it. Delish.
Another really cute tidbit that I totally forgot to update the world (you) about is that we have lots of plants in our house now :) I have a pot of beautiful orange flowers on my desk, Claire has a tiny pot of flowers that she is growing from seeds that she bought at Giverny while were in Paris, and we have three herb plants that now grace the window of our kitchen. If you will look to the right, there is a picture of Fay with our plants. When we cook meals, we just swing open the window and clip/pick off a few leaves of herbs to spice up our dishes. It's really quite cute. We have a basil plant, a rosemary plant, and a lemon thyme plant.
Also, as of Saturday, September 27th, CARMEL SCHARF IS 20 YEARS OLD! We were in Cassis for most of the day, but when we got back, the Cabanon Girls celebrated Carmel's 20th birthday. We went out to dinner at a delicious Moroccan restaurant and shared a bottle of rosé with 3 of our non-cabanon friends. The food was great and as usual, the conversation was lovely. We then, moved out and went to a hookah bar called Samarkande that is tucked away in a quiet little private corner hidden in the center of Aix-en-Provence. It was ADORABLE. Even for those of us who were not interested in smoking hookah, they had a very impressive collection of teas, steamed milk beverages, coffees, Middle Eastern desserts, milkshakes, and other interesting drinks to share with friends or enjoy on your own. I had green tea with a mint infusion, which was very strong à la Morrocan mint tea, but very very delicious. It was a tiny tiny place packed with tapestries, pillows, low tables, and we went down to the basement where there was some extra space. It is very warm and cozy, with dark nooks filled with brightly-colored pillows and blankets and very dim lighting. The walls and ceiling were made of rocks and they were draped with colorful sheets accented with tiny pieces of reflective metal. It was an incredibly calming, rather seductive atmosphere with hushed whispering in each corner, shared among close friends and lovers. Exactly what you'd imagine the perfect hookah bar, Middle-Eastern tea bar to be like.

Afterwards, we shook ourselves out of the haze and walked back to our cabanon, and we were finally able to get a picture of the 4 of us together! FIRST ONE! And so, I introduce to you, the Cabanon Girls, from left to right: Claire, Carmel (the birthday girl),
And before I sign out, wish me luck: Classes at La Fac start tomorrow! EEK.